Protaetia brevitarsis seulensis larvae from industrial insects are traditionally recognized as functional health foods in South Korea. We evaluated the immuno-modulatory effects of feeding beneficial microorganism (Bacillus velezensis TJS119) to P. brevitarsis larvae as a dietary source. In this study, we investigated the immune-enhancing activities of P. brevitarsis larvae hot-water extract (PLW) and PLW after treatment with B. velezensis TJS119 (PLWB) using the RAW 264.7 macrophage cell line. We examined the effects of PLWB on cell proliferation, cytokine production, and nitric oxide production in RAW264.7 cells. PLWB showed no cytotoxicity at concentrations ranging from 7.8 to 1,000 μg/mL in RAW264.7 cells. Treatment with PLWB increased the production of nitric oxide and pro-inflammatory cytokines [tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and interleukin-1β (IL-1β)] at doses of 62.5 to 1,000 μ g/mL in RAW264.7 cells. As a result, PLWB exhibited a stronger immune-enhancing effect compared to PLW. In conclusion, the results of this study offer experimental evidence to support the potential utilization of PLWB as an immunity-enhancing nutraceutical ingredient.

In this study, we examined immuno-modulatory activities of crude polysaccharides from wild ginseng adventitious roots (WGAR). The crude polysaccharide (WGAR-CP) was isolated from WGAR by hot water extraction, ethanol precipitation, and dialysis. The major constituents in WGAR-CP were neutral sugar (64.77%), and uronic acid (34.32%). WGAR-CP demonstrated anti-complementary activity dose-dependently. The immuno-modulatory effects of WGAR-CP were also analyzed by measuring nitric oxide and cytokines in the supernatants of mouse peritoneal macrophages. Mouse peritoneal macrophages stimulated with WGAR-CP produced nitric oxide and various cytokines such as interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-12 in a dosedependent manner. In conclusion, WGAR-CP may have immuno-modulatory activities by activating a complementary system and macrophages, which produces cytokines.